


First Day of School

by WindwiseWords



Series: Xenogen City [49]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Best Friends, Bonding, Brainstorm, College, Fist Fights, Grumpy Mornings, Interviews, Knock Out Needs to Control His Spike, Lab Partners, Loss of Control, Showers, kind of, unwanted flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-06
Updated: 2017-03-06
Packaged: 2018-09-28 17:41:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10142096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WindwiseWords/pseuds/WindwiseWords
Summary: Even for the mechs, the first day of school brings a bully, and a valuable outcome. Perceptor gets an interview at a school, but where will that lead? Knock Out messes with his partner in the washracks, and Perceptor finally has had enough.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I hate signing up for college classes and my QBM isn't available so this came out of my frustration. I just wanted someone to punch the flirt.

“You’re going to be late, Percy.” A harsh banging on his private room forced Perceptor to open one eye and stifle a groan into his pillow. It was sign up day, and as for any ‘first timer’ he had to get up early, actually go to the Academy, and sign up for what he wanted. He felt like a sparkling, someone holding his hand through what he could handle and what he could not; it insulted him.

Another hard set of knocks. “I am awake, Brainstorm.” He announced, with a bit more venom than typical. With dragging feet he made his way out of his room and into the kitchen, taking plain energon set out along with a towel and bottle of solvent.

“Mornin’ Percy. Excited for today?” Brainstorm smiled, at least Perceptor could tell he smiled.

“Less than so.” Perceptor plopped down on the couch and read his datapads, a new one on the ‘History of Academic Performance in Southern America.’ Why Brainstorm found it so funny he’d never know. “I dislike when told what I can and cannot do. I know my limitations.”

Brainstorm looked up from the kitchen’s bar and blinked slowly. “Yeah, anyone with half a processor knows you can do anything, Percy. Within the limitations of science. But we’re still discovering those.” Brainstorm decided to keep the mask on this morning; perhaps he sensed Perceptor’s rising tension and agitation. Occasionally that provoked a lashing out.

Perceptor looked up and studied his lab partner. “These humans believe they know the limitations of everything until they push them. Not the reverse: nothing is finite until you have seen it all.” He emptied his glass of energon and sighed quietly. “I would prefer to skip right to the advanced classes. They insist on having me start with the lower levels and see how I do. They treat me like any other student.”

Brainstorm nodded, then narrowed his eyes in dangerous thought. “But… Ah, Percy? Isn’t that what you told them to do? I mean you wanted to go as just any other human, that’s what you said on your application.”

Thinking back to his letter, so carefully written and considered, he found himself nodding as he stood up to put the energon cube in the sink to soak. “I am going to go.” He paused, a strange nagging in his chest and he turned to stare at Brainstorm.

Brainstorm blinked and stared back before smiling with his eyes and nodding. “If you wanted me to come with ya Percy just had to say so!”

“I did not ‘say’ anything.” Perceptor snapped, and stalked off toward the door with his towel and solvent. “But you do need a shower and you never clean your wing joints correctly.”

 

The pair ended up in the public washracks, off to one side deeply engaged in a conversation about the human ‘String Theory’ when trouble strutted up in all red. Instantly Brainstorm subtly shuffled to the side and pinned those little winglets back. Perceptor knew he felt irritated with just the presence of Knock Out, who recently took an unhealthy interest in flirting with the mech. Perceptor offered to chase him off with false proclaimations of being Brainstorm’s significant other.

“So he lives! Been trapped up in that lab for ages, Stormy.” Knock Out grinned dangerously, leaning against the wall with his red plating on display. It caught more than a few eyes, and in the distance the annoyed chirp of Tailgate proceeded the growl of Cyclonus.

“It’s ah. It’s Brainstorm, Doctor.” His usually stable voice dropped an octave, clearly annoyed. “I’d get out more but me an’ Percy are working on a new paper.”

“’Percy and I,’ Brainstorm.” Perceptor corrected, not so much to put his partner down but to draw attention away for Knock Out who was leering quite obviously at the wings quivering and moving with irritation. “It you wouldn’t mind Knock Out, we were in the middle of a discussion—“

“Oh go ahead. I’ll listen, Percy.” He waved a hand dismissively.

 

The next portion of the discussion focused more on Perceptor not tearing off Knock Out’s head, and Brainstorm growing more bothered. Finally Perceptor cut their shower short.

“Well. I just realized we are going to be late for a meeting.” Perceptor dragged Brainstorm off before he could even say goodbye to Knock Out. When they were out of range of words and blown kisses, Brainstorm shuttered and shook his head. “You are coming with me.”

Brainstorm looked surprised, covered up by a towel as it was thrown over his head. “Really Percy? Thought you wanted to do this alone.”

“I do. You are more important than some silly sign up and I feel he would harass you all day.” Perceptor didn’t smile, but the glint in his covered optic told Brainstorm he winked. “Now let’s—“

“Why don’t I just help him in the lab so you can go waste time with your ‘silly sign up,’ Percy? After all, it’s just a waste of time to spend with humans. Then me and Brainstorm can get to know each other a bit better…” Knock Out grinned and narrowed his eyes. There was a possessive nature about this glare, and punctuated by finally putting a red hand on those shivering winglets.

Perceptor took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Faster than lightning his fist came up and clocked Knock Out in the jaw, sending a very stunned doctor flying on his rear with Perceptor towering over his wet body.

“If you ever lay a hand on him again, I will use my rifle next time. And I do not miss.” He did not growl or spit, but said it flat and plain. He turned on heel and stalked off, Brainstorm on his tail and the entire washrack dead silent. At the door he turned back to the still stunned medic feeling his jaw, shot him a blank stare, and finished the confrontation. “And it would be, ‘Brainstorm and I,’ as in ‘Brainstorm and I are now leaving.’”

The door slammed shut and Perceptor grabbed his partner’s hand, dragging him off toward the docks. Brainstorm followed numbly, trying to make sense of why Perceptor snapped.

“Remind me never to get on your bad side, Percy.” Sure they had their arguments but Percy threw things, rarely, if he ever got that angry. Sometimes he shoved, but never did he hook anyone under the chin that hard.

Perceptor huffed and continued to drag him along. “We are going to be very late now.” He brushed off the topic. “I simply defended my lab partner from unclean hands.”

“Perceptor.” That made him stop and look at Brainstorm, who retracted his mask and smiled gently. A real smile he could see. “Thanks, Percy. I don’t think he’s going to bother me again.”

With a thin smile of his own, Perceptor nodded and then frowned a bit. “Come on.”

 

They managed to make the next run to the mainland, and even made it within ten minutes of the appointment. As they sat outside the advising office, Perceptor began to tap his pinky on the cement.

“Nervous?” Perceptor nodded. “Don’t be, Percy, they already love your work. You’ll do great.”

Perceptor relaxed, comforted that Brainstorm reinforced his shaking resolve. The doors opened and the tiny human peeked out before smiling. “Mr. Perceptor? And…” The human checked his clipboard.

“This is my partner, Brainstorm, sir. He came for moral support.” Perceptor informed stiffly, hoping that didn’t ruin his chances.

The human quickly made a note on his clipboard and smiled warmly. “Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Brainstorm. It warms me to see such a devoted scientist to support his partner in his interview. Now, Mr. Perceptor, I understand you have a large history in physics. Perhaps starting with a Physics I track would be good.”

Perceptor smiled a bit and nodded, wishing he could start with something more along the lines of Physical chemistry.

“I don’t mean to butt in, but Percy—Mr. Perceptor is quite good at chemistry too.” The adviser looked up and blinked, reviewing his application sheet and nodding with a bright smile.

“Yes I don’t know how the Chem Department could have missed that. Well then, since you applied for any and all science jobs, perhaps Physical Chemistry or even Advanced Organic Chemistry. You seem very qualified with your…” A squint and raised brow. “This must be a typo. Nearly eight million years of experience?”

“The entire war and time before, yes sir.” Perceptor replied, Brainstorm nodding to confirm it.

“Well then. Perhaps we underestimated you. Mr. Brainstorm, perhaps you can tell me what Perceptor could handle with your load in the lab plus this job here.”

 

The interview went on until lunch, to which the adviser sent them over to the chemistry department to synthesize energon. Perceptor made a great impression, and by the end of the visit they were offering Brainstorm a position as well. They hated to ‘break a good pair up,’ despite the bickering they engaged in during the lab.

Perceptor enjoyed the visit, even more reassured that teaching the eager human younglings would be rewarding and a good break from the monotony of Xenogen. If Brainstorm decided to take up their offer, he could even see this being his lab away from home.


End file.
